Destined to be Evil
by padfootgrim
Summary: Everyone wants to know how a poor boy from an orphanage turned into one of the most evil wizards ever known to man-kind. Read to discover how the sins of others transformed Tom Riddle into Lord Voldemort.
1. Poor Boy's Orphanage

Tom Riddle awoke with a start. He had just had his old, reoccurring nightmare- a flash of green light to the sound of people shrieking in horror in the distance. There was also a man, laughing a dark, deep laugh. This dream had always scared Tom, for reasons unbeknownst to him; the man looked oddly familiar- tall, pale, thin, but Tom just couldn't put his finger on who it was. He put his slightly trembling hands and pressed them across his forehead, hoping to dull the sharp, aching pain. He should have known better though, for the pain always passed on its own accord, not his.

Tom gazed across his small, cramped room and gazed at himself in the mirror above his desk. He had scruffy, dark brown hair, which fell into his gray eyes nicely. He also had a casual elegance and a charismatic smile, though he had hardly anything to smile about at the orphanage where he lived. He was tall for his age of eleven, and almost sickly thin. This was a source of great annoyment for Tom, as most of the other miserable kids at the orphanage would direct their frustration towards him, teasing and calling him names such as "Too Tall Tommy" and "Riddle me this". However, far worse was Mr. Welcksworth, the owner of the orphanage, who seemed to have come from hell itself. He always went out to bars and got drunk. Also, he had taken to giving Tom weekly beatings with his belt; buckle included, just because strange things happened around Tom. Just last week Welcksworth had made Tom especially angry, and then a small fire started burning atop his head. He now had a bald spot on his head, and he had beaten Tom so badly that Tom was sure there would be deep scars.

"It's all my idiot father's fault," muttered Tom out loud, which was true in many ways. From what Tom had been told, his father had left his mother when she was pregnant with him. She was so depressed that she became sickly, and died after giving birth to Tom. Supposedly, she had only lived long enough to name him. Then, the hospital had contacted his father, Tom Sr., who wanted nothing to do with him; which resulted in him getting sent to this dump. Tom sighed. He knew it was no use to blame anyone; it was just that he was so tired of being miserable all of the time. He secretly vowed, then and there, to seek revenge on Welcksworth as soon as he was old enough. He would make him pay for all of the torment he had caused Tom. Of course, he tried to be nice to everyone, but they all regarded him as a gray-eyed freak. He had one close friend: Emma, the lunch lady. She seemed to be the only one who understood and appreciated Tom. She was certainly the only one who cared for him.

Tom looked at a leather bound diary on his desk- one of his few possessions. His name was written on the front in peeling, gold letter, and an address with the street Vauxhill Road was written on the back of it. It was the only thing his mother had left for him. He grabbed the book, and began to flip aimlessly through the blank pages, thinking how much better his life would be if his mother were still alive.

Tom suddenly glanced up. He could have sworn that he had heard a faint hissing noise. As he tried to locate the source of the noise, he heard a distinct growl at his door. To his horror, he turned around and came face-to-face with Mr. Welcksworth, who was looking more furious than Tom had ever seen him. His face was beet-red and he was baring his teeth, as a lion trying to scare away unwanted visitors might do.

"Riddle," he sneered, "What in the blazes are you doing up? In case it didn't cross your pathetic mind, the commissioner of London orphanages is coming tomorrow. If he sees so much as one thing out of the ordinary, he'll shut us down and cut off my paycheck, and we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?" His face was now so close to Tom's that Tom could feel his heavy breath.

"N-No sir," stuttered Tom, fearful for his life.

"Good," Welcksworth grimaced and hurled Tom to his bed. "Now if I see you yawn once tomorrow, or if you put one toe out of line, I will double your amount of beatings from one month to two months. Get to sleep, Riddle. You sicken me." And with that, he strode out of Tom's room and slammed the door behind him. Tom sighed, upon being hurled onto his bed, his arm had snagged one of the metal springs poking out of the mattress, and was now bleeding. "Damn, I guess that's just my luck!" thought Tom to himself. He pressed his shirt to the cut to stop the bleeding, turned off his light, and sank into his pillow. It was no more than a pillowcase stuffed with hay, but he was used to it. He pulled his raggedy blanket over himself, and sank into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he was awoken early by something pecking at his hand. He sleepily opened his eyes and then sat bolt right up. "What's a bloody owl doing in my bedroom?" he quickly saw a letter, with his name on it, attached to the owl's leg.

Mr. T.M.Riddle

Poor boy's Orphanage

Queen's Street

London, England

He was just about to rip off the strange seal on the back of the envelope when he heard a soft creak outside his door. He quickly shoved the letter under his pillow and began to feign sleep.

"Riddle," snarled Welcksworth. "Time to wake up- your beatings start right before the commissioner arrives, so as to REMIND you that you should behave well." He emphasized the word remind. Tom grunted and got out of bed. He put on the shabbiest shirt he had, which was saying something, and headed to the supreme one's office.

"You know what to do." Tom sat on a splintering, wooden stool in the middle of the room and stared defiantly at the wall. Welcksworth took off his belt, which was black leather with lightning bolt bits of metal on it, and began beating Tom's back with it. As it continued, Tom forced himself not to cry- he would never give Welcksworth the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to him. After about twenty minutes, he delivered the final blow on the back of Tom's neck, however he had miscalculated, and the front of the belt whipped around his head, leaving a lightning bolt shaped cut on Tom's forehead. Tom winced, eyes beginning to water, but he forced the tears back down.

"Clean yourself, Riddle, and if you make one ounce of trouble when the commissioner comes, oh, you'll wish you hadn't boy..." Tom sauntered back to his room, grimacing in pain with every step. He collapsed onto his bed, and suddenly remembered his letter and its' strange arrival. He ripped it open, and read in amazement.

Dear Mr. Riddle,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school train departs from platform 9&3/4 at King's Cross Station on September 1st. A list of necessary school items has been enclosed, and you may refer to Ms. Emma Fitzgerald with any concerns. I look forward to meeting you on September 1st.

Felicity Falbez, Deputy Headmistress

"This has got to be a joke...I better see what Emma has to say," said Tom, stuffing the letter in his back pocket and heading for the cafeteria. "Emma, what is this?" demanded Tom, shoving the letter under the lunch lady's nose while she was in the middle of cooking a better than usual lunch, no doubt due to the commissioner's visit today.

"Tom, how have you be- TOM! This is brilliant Tom, I knew they would accept you- oh Tom, this is marvelous!" She looked up at Tom, her eyes gleaming, and then recoiled with a look of concern on her face. "Tom, that cut on your forehead...what happened? Was it Mr. Welcksworth?"

"What? Oh, yes, but Emma, you knew that I'm a...a wizard?"

"Of course I did- how could you not be with all your mother's talent?"

"Hang on, you knew my mum?"

"Yes, yes but I haven't time to explain it to you right now. But- say Tom, how would you like to get out of here for the rest of the summer and the following school year?"

"Emma, that's like asking a four year old if they want a cookie, of course I want to go!"

"Ok, then you meet me at 5 o'clock in here and we'll head off. Bring that letter and list with you, and anything else you want to keep. And please try to heal that cut, it might scar. Now you run off and brush up, you want to look spiffy for the commissioner." She smiled and shoed Tom off. When he arrived in his despised room, he put his mother's blank diary, a change of clothes, and his letter in the pillowcase. He would take them with him when he left. Then, he tried to wet down his scruffy hair to make it look nice, but it remained stubbornly unmoving, and he gave up. The commissioner soon arrived, who turned out to be a short, bald man who listened and obeyed everything Welcksworth said, and as a result of his obedience he practically steered clear of Tom the whole day.

At 5 o'clock, Tom rushed up to his room, stuffed his pillowcase under his shirt, and ran to the cafeteria. Emma was all ready there.

"Hi Tom, ready to go?"

"Yes, but how are we getting out without the you-know-who frying us alive?"

"Well, put this on, and we'll see how it turns out, shall we?" she handed Tom a shimmery cloak. He put it on.

"Wicked, I can't see me. There is such a thing as magic- wild, it's like an invisibility device."

"Well, your mother gave that to me and it's time you had it. I daresay you'll have some fun with it at Hogwarts, but enough about that, we best be off." She directed him towards the door, and they set off: down the street, around the corner, and then Emma flung out her right arm, which had a wooden stick in it, and a purple triple-decker bus came rolling down the street, out of nowhere.

"Emma, is that a magic wan-"Tom was cut off.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. All aboard!" Emma and Tom hurried on, and sat down on one of the strange, brass beds inside.

"Where to?" asked the purple-uniformed conductor.

"The Leaky Cauldron, and Ernie," Emma called up to the driver, "do try and be careful. This boy has never ridden before."

"That'll be one gall-,"

"Thank you, Stan." Said Emma, shoving a gold coin into his hand.

"Alright, let's go Ern." The driver stepped on the accelerator and there was a loud BANG! Tom was thrown to the floor of the bus, looking around in bewilderment. A small, gray-haired woman exited the bus as Tom was standing up, and there was another loud BANG! This time, however, Tom was better prepared, and grabbed the edge of a bedpost to prevent himself from being hurled back onto the ground.

"Next stop, Leaky Cauldron," the conductor, Stan, informed them. "It's not that crowded in the early evening." With one more BANG! Tom found the bus rattling along a cobblestone alley, and it pulled up to a shabby, black building with a rotting, wooden sign which hosted a picture of a black cauldron, with steam coming out of it, and a couple of drips with a puddle of water underneath of it.

"Tom, come on. Let's go!" said Emma, breaking Tom's trance and scurrying him forward. "Very good, now do you have all of your belongings?" Tom showed her the pillowcase, speechless. "Excellent, thank you Ernie. Come on Tom, let's get inside before we get wet." It had started to drizzle, and rain was accumulating in between the cobblestones, and sliding down the alleyway. Tom followed Emma into the shabby building, his eyes wide-open and staring. He had so many questions bustling around inside his head, but his mind could not seem to settle on one. Emma looked at Tom, and seemed to know what he was thinking, because at that moment she suggested they take a seat at one of the rickety, old, wooden tables. As they sat down, Emma said,

"Now Tom, I know you must be confused, but if you'd like to ask me any questions, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities." Tom stared at her for a moment, and then seemed to realize what he was doing. Emma was sitting and waiting patiently.

"So, I'm a wizard or something?" asked Tom, trying to find the proper wording.

"Yes," replied Emma, "You are magical and can perform spells with a wand, and things of that sort. Muggles, on the other hand, are non-magic people."

"So my dad was a muggle, and upon finding out that my mum was a witch, he disowned the both of us?"

"Sadly, yes. I never did like him."

"You knew my mother?"

"We met during school- she was a brilliant witch with a sparkle in her eye, and was always nice to me, a Hufflepuff, even though she was in Slytherin. But your father- he was an arrogant jerk if I ever saw one. He was a muggle, as you already guessed, and belonged to a rich family out in the country somewhere. We were also distant friends as adults; we didn't see each other often, but we were always there for each other when we needed it."

"Right, well...thanks Emma, I guess that's all I really wanted to know." remarked Tom, who was not the least bit surprised to hear that his father was a jerk. Also, he was still absorbing the fact that his only true friend in the world had failed to inform him earlier that she was a friend of his deceased mother.

"All right, we'll get you set up here then, and I'll come back in a week to drop you off at King's Cross. I don't want Mr. Welcksworth hurting you anymore- I'll just tell him that you have gone to Stonewall for the year." Tom smiled.

"Thanks Emma!"

"Oh Tommy, it's the least I could do after you helped me make all of those suppers for the orphanage." Emma smiled back, and then looked for the bartender. "Rob," she said to a rustic looking man who was taking someone's order. "Is there a room open for Tom?" Rob nodded,

"Room eleven should be open, Emma." Emma led Tom up a flight of stairs and opened a door marked with a gold number eleven. She beckoned Tom to sit down on the bed, and he did so.

"Listen, Tom," she said as she handed him a small, golden key. "This is the key to your Gringott's vault. Your mother sent it to me when she lay on her deathbed. Tomorrow morning, go downstairs and ask Rob to show you how to get into Diagon Alley. When you enter the Alley, go to Gringotts Bank and withdraw thirty galleons, using that key, to buy your school supplies with. Galleons are the gold coins, sickles are silver, and knuts are bronze. Use that list so you know what to buy. Sorry I have to leave so soon Tom, but Mr. Welcksworth will suspect something if I'm gone for too long. If you have any troubles, just call me; you know the number."

"Emma..." Tom was at a loss for words. "Thanks." Emma smiled, quietly leaving the room while Tom collected his thoughts. Soon after her departure, he collapsed onto the comfortable bed of Room Eleven, and without changing his clothes, plunged into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Diagon Alley

The next morning, Tom awoke to find sunrays bursting through all of the tiny cracks in the window shades. He also heard an unknown source of noise, which seemed to come from beneath the building. He got out of bed and changed into his only other pair of clothes- a fresh t-shirt and jeans. Tom yawned and ruffled his hair, then picked up his Hogwart's letter and exited the room. As he descended down the stairway, sticking his letter in his back pocket, a girl of about 10 rushed by, knocking him flat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry," exclaimed the girl, exasperated, as she helped Tom up.

"It's fine," smiled Tom, feeling self-conscious and shy, but excited at the prospect of making a friend, "Don't worry about it. I'm Tom, by the way."

"Hi Tom, I'm Daisy. I'm about to go into my first year at Hogwarts."

"Me too, maybe I'll see you there!"

"Yes," said Daisy, feeling relieved, "I hope so. It was nice to meet you, Tom."

"You too," replied Tom, finishing his descent down the stairway. He grabbed a steaming biscuit off a nearby table and walked up to the counter to get Rob's attention, as Emma had instructed him to.

"Excuse me, sir! Rob!" called Tom, grinning at the bewilderment on Rob's face as he tried to locate the source of the noise. "I'm right here. I think you are a friend of Emma's; She told me to ask you if you could show me how to get into Diagon Alley so I can get my school supplies."

"Sure thing, Tommy boy. Just follow me out back." Tom followed Rob to the far back of the Inn, and out a scrawny looking door. He noticed that the grass seemed to be the only thing in the clearing behind the Leaky Cauldron that had been preserved well. Rob took out a long, thin, wooden stick (Tom presumed it was a magic wand) and tapped a brick above the rotting trashcan.

"Just remember," muttered Rob to seemingly no one, "Three bricks up and two across." Tom was staring dumbly at the blank brick wall for a second, when the bricks started shifting and rearranging themselves, forming an archway to, what seemed to be, an entirely different town. "Right," said Rob, interrupting Tom's awe, "Well that's Diagon Alley for you. It's always packed with people of course. You best be off and get your things. Come 'round later and we'll have some supper ready for you; any friend of Emma's is a friend of mine." Rob winked, disappearing through the door that led back to the Inn. Tom, who seemed fairly dumbstruck, passed through the archway. People were bustling around, paying no attention to a boy who had just walked through an archway that used to be a solid, brick wall. They seemed to be muttering odd thing for shopping lists and such. As he glanced around, he saw a store filled with broomsticks (Quality Quidditch Supplies Shop), a store with boxes containing magic wands (Ollivanders), a shop filled with cages and animals (Magical Menagerie), and as he was just about to ask directions, Tom spotted a tall, leaning building with a sign that had started to crumble down, depicting the word 'Gringotts'. As Tom entered the building, it took all of his self-restraint not to shout in alarm. Miniature people, no taller than three feet, were scurrying across a polished, marble floor with their long, pointed ears sticking straight out of the sides of their heads. People were following them to other rooms in the building. Emma had failed to tell him that midgets ran the bank.

He sauntered up to an important looking creature (Tom assumed it was an elf or goblin) that was sitting behind a desk, and caught his attention by clearing his throat.

"Excuse me," asked Tom politely, "I'd like to withdraw some money from my vault, please." The goblin slowly looked up from his papers and stared Tom in the eye.

"Name?" inquired the goblin, cold and uninterested.

"T-Tom Riddle," stuttered Tom, taken-aback by the goblin's response.

"Does Mr. Tom Riddle happen to have his key?"

"Yes sir," replied Tom, as he withdrew the tiny, golden key from his front jean pocket that Emma had given him the previous day. The goblin took the key and examined it closely.

"Very well, I will have Guddentek take you to your vault." He signaled a goblin that looked rather young compared to the rest. The goblin advanced to the desk, retrieved Tom's key, and scurried away, beckoning Tom to follow. They passed through a wooden door, and suddenly were in a narrow passageway, lit by torchlight. Guddentek got into a wooden cart, and said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice,

"Get onboard, please. We're going to vault 213." Tom did as he was told, and suddenly the cart was hurtling down the passageway, making sharp turns to the left and right. They also seemed to be going further underground, as Tom had noticed a slight decline in the temperature. They finally stopped at a tall, wooden door with the shabby, metallic number 213 on its' front. Guddentek stepped off the cart, and inserted the key into the lock. There was a series of metallic clicking, most likely a mechanism to protect the vault, and then the door swung open. Tom's eyes widened at the sight inside; there were stacks of gold, silver, and bronze coins. If this was wizard money, then Tom felt sure he was rich. Guddentek kept staring at him, making impatient noises in his throat, and Tom came back to his senses. He grabbed a handful or two of gold galleons and stuck them into his pillowcase. Guddentek then handed him his key, and they returned to the cart and set back to the main complex where the entrance to Gringotts was located.

Once Tom was outside of Gringotts, he stared, wondering where he should start his school shopping. He took out his list and read the first item:

3 sets of day robes (black) with silver fastenings.

Tom glanced around and then headed towards Monsieur LaBusche's Everyday Wear, which appeared to sell wizard's robes. As he entered the shop, a short, stubby man greeted Tom and requested he stand on a platform so they could acquire his measurements. Tom complied, and upon stepping onto the platform, to his bewilderment, found tape measures supported by nothing starting to take his measurements, as they rattled around his arms and legs.

"Yes, amazing aren't they?" stated the man, who appeared to have caught Tom's gaze. "They just came out- the prototype." Tom nodded, and waited as the man found the right sets of robes to fit him properly. Once he got them, he thanked the man, paid him five galleons, and went to Flourish and Blotts for his schoolbooks. He had all ready decided not to buy free reading books, because he assumed that Hogwarts, like most boarding schools, was certain to have a library with a vast collection of books. After buying his books, he went to the Apothecary to buy potions ingredients, hurrying out as soon as possible. The sights and smells to be found in the Apothecary did not agree with him, or his stomach. He stopped at Evelyn's Eatery for a quick snack, and was off again to continue his shopping.

As Tom spent the day getting his supplies, he slowly checked off the items on his list. Finally, there was only one thing left, and Tom had been looking forward to this the most- a magic wand. He carefully stepped inside Ollivanders, which appeared to be empty, and placed his bulging bags filled with various school supplies in the corner. He walked up to the counter and was just about to ring the bell when a man appeared behind the counter. He had wiry, auburn hair, and bloodshot, silver eyes.

"I've been expecting you, Mr. Riddle," the man said quietly, his lips barely moving.

"You have?" Tom replied weakly.

"Oh yes, with all the talent your mother had... and you look just like her." Tom swelled up with pride. "All right then- onto business. Which is your wand hand?"

"Er...Well, I'm left-handed by nature." Mr. Ollivander stared at Tom, as though an odd surprise had caught him off guard, for a few moments. Tom knew left-handed people were rare, but he had never had this affect on someone before. Mr. Ollivander recovered himself quickly, saying,

"That's very interesting, Mr. Riddle. I know of only one other wizard who is left-handed, just one other. He is a great friend of mine, actually. We went to Hogwarts together. Also, bare-in-mind, I know many wizards, Mr. Riddle." There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, which was interrupted when Mr. Ollivander began to rummage through the wand boxes. He selected one and handed it to Tom.

"11 and one half inches, willow and dragon heartstring. Rather bendy, give it a try." Tom grabbed the wand, only to have it snatched away by Mr. Ollivander a few seconds later. "No, that will never do." He set the wand down and gave Tom a penetrating stare. Tom, who had never had much attention, found it uncomfortable to stare this stranger in the eye, and therefore let his eyes wander around the shop, avoiding the strange, mysterious man in front of himself.

"I wonder..." He grabbed a slender wand case, and handed it to Tom. "13 and one half inches made of yew and phoenix feather. Very powerful and excellent for transfiguration." As Tom picked it up, an inspiration soared through his body, and warmth came to his fingertips and down to the tips of his toes. Multi-colored sparks started showering through the air as Mr. Ollivander applauded.

"Excellent, but very interesting. Very interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"Well, my friend I told you about, the other left-handed wizard, owns a phoenix. It so happens that the very same phoenix feather that resides in your wand belongs to his phoenix." Tom nodded, now intently curious as to whom this person was. "Indeed, this is a very powerful wand, Mr. Riddle, and unless I'm much mistaken, you will be a very powerful wizard." Mr. Ollivander rang up the price, studying Tom closely, and Tom handed him some gold. He grabbed his wand and school bags, and returned to his room at the Leaky Cauldron. He delicately placed his wand on the polished bedside table, and placed his school items in his newly bought trunk. He had, in addition to buying wizard's robes, also bought some t-shirts and pants, so he could dress comfortably, in what he supposed were called 'Muggle Clothes' by the wizard population, until Emma came to pick him up the following week.

He headed down to dinner, which he enjoyed (ham biscuits and pea soup), and then went back to his room and fell asleep, feeling truly happy for the first time in a long while.

Throughout the next week, Tom followed the same schedule. He awoke in the morning, took his new wand out back, and tapped three bricks up, and two across, above the trashcan in order to access Diagon Alley. He spent the morning exploring the grand Alley, and would then buy lunch at one of Diagon Alley's many food shops, eating it outside underneath the glorious and sparkling sunrays. He spent the afternoon reading his schoolbooks, most of which he found fascinating, then returning to the Leaky Cauldron for supper.

He also met many Hogwarts students, such as Daisy, throughout the week. Henry Jones, a 5th year with sandy blond hair, introduced himself to Tom informing him that he was a Gryffindor prefect, and looked forward to seeing Tom at school. Rosy and Peter Smith were sister and brother, two years apart, and in the Ravenclaw house, both of whom Tom found to be incredibly witty and funny. Tom enjoyed the company of the fellow Hogwarts students that he met very much.

One morning, September 1st to be more exact, Rob awoke a disgruntled Tom, who was rather uncoordinated and disjointed in the mornings. "Tommy Boy, you have a visitor." Rob exited the room with a huge smile spreading across his face.


	3. The Sorting Hat Knows All

Tom rushed down the stairway, having a good idea who the visitor might be.

"Emma!" he exclaimed as he saw the familiar lady beaming at him from across the room. Tom and Emma embraced much as a mother and son would do.

"Have you had a fun time, Tom?" inquired Emma.

"The best! I can't believe I'm a wizard- this is brilliant!"

"Good-"she was interrupted by someone who had just entered the doorway to the Inn.

"Emma Fitzgerald, is that you?"

"Julie! How nice to see you, how have you been? This is Daphy's son, Tom. Tom, this is Julie Trelawney, the Divination teacher at Hogwarts; you should have her this year. We attended school together."

"A pleasure to meet you, Tom." Remarked Julie, shaking Tom's hand; "I look forward to having you in my class this year."

"Oh, what a bother. I'm sorry Julie, but I wasn't expecting you, and I have to get Tom onto the school train. I assume you are apparating to Hogsmeade?" Julie nodded her head, as she drew out a large, toothy smile. "All right, well owl me when you get there, and maybe we can plan a meeting on one of your off days to catch up on things."

"I'd love that." Replied Julie, waving goodbye to Tom and Emma as she made her way towards the back of the Leaky Cauldron, no doubt to enter Diagon Alley. Emma averted her attention back to Tom,

"Do you have your things packed? I'm going to take you to the school train, which departs in an hour. Tom, you'll love it there!" Tom grinned and hurtled back up the creaky staircase to his room; he was very pleased at how nice Julie had seemed. He dearly hoped all of his teachers were that charming.

He threw all of his belongings into his newly acquired trunk, and tenderly placed his wand in the inside pocket of his jacket. He yanked his trunk down the stairs, and waited as Emma paid Rob for Tom's stay at the Inn, and as she phoned to have a muggle taxi driver escort them to the King's Cross Station.

They remained silent throughout the entire drive, so as not to disturb the muggle driver with tales of witchcraft and wizardry. They arrived at the Station with an hour to spare, so Emma treated Tom to an early lunch. When Tom asked her how Welcksworth was taking the news that Tom was at 'Stonewall', she told him that Welcksworth had fallen into a depression and almost fired her. As they were finishing up their sandwiches, Tom asked,

"Emma, which station is the school train leaving from?"

"Platform 9 and ¾, of course."

"9 and ¾?" Tom questioned as he deposited the remains of his turkey and cheese sandwich in the trash bin, "There is no platform 9 and ¾!"

"Oh Tom, I forgot you have never done this before- now get your things, and I'll show you where to go." Tom strolled the trolley containing his belongings to the middle, connecting barrier of platforms 9 and 10, where Emma stopped.

"Is it here?" asked Tom, intently curious.

"Yes, now Tom, I want you to run straight into that barrier dividing the two platforms, and not be afraid that you are going to get hurt." Tom looked at the barrier, and slowly turned his head around to stare at Emma.

"You're saying that you want me to run into that barrier and not think I'm going to collide into it?"

"Yes."

"Have you gone mad?" exclaimed Tom, with the air of one talking to an unstable person.

"No, Tom. Just trust me." Tom glanced at Emma, and sighed wearily. He set off at a trot towards the solid brick barrier, trolley in front. As he was a second from collision, he squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the worst. It didn't come- he opened his eyes, and saw a scarlet steam engine labeled 'The Hogwarts Express.' He glanced back where the barrier had been, and was surprised to see Emma walking through the wall.

"Come on, Tom. Let's get your things onto the train." Tom followed her, awestruck again about the mysterious wonders of magic, to the train.

"I guess I've got a lot to learn about magic then..."

"More than you know." Emma lifted his things into the luggage compartment, and led him to a train compartment that was empty. "Now be sure to write me every few weeks with a school owl to let me know how things are going."

"Don't worry, I will." He grinned and bade Emma farewell until the next summer break. After she had left, Tom stuck his head outside the compartment, and recognized a friendly face coming towards him.

"Tom!" exclaimed Henry Jones, the Gryffindor prefect that he had met while staying in Diagon Alley. "How are you? And may I introduce my lovely girlfriend, Cooper Smith." A tall, dirty-blonde haired girl, who was standing next to Henry, acknowledged her presence.

"Hi Tom, I'm Cooper, fourth year Gryffindor. Henry tells me you're just starting Hogwarts this year, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, now that you've been properly introduced, I have to run. Dumb prefect's carriage- we're supposed to supervise the boarding and seating of students on the train. I'll meet up with you guys later." He gave Cooper a quick peck on the cheek, and disappeared. Tom and Cooper entered the empty compartment.

"So, how did you two meet?" he asked, grinning. Cooper returned the grin,

"We're the two beaters on the Gryffindor house quidditch team, quidditch is a wizard sport much like basketball, and things just took off from there. So, what house do you wan-"a knock on the sliding compartment door interrupted them. "Come in," said Cooper. Two nearly identical, freckled faces peeked in. Tom recognized one of them.

"Daisy! How are you, and is this your brother?" Daisy looked relieved.

"Hi Tom- I'm fine. This is my twin brother, David." The boy nodded, also looking relieved that his sister had found an acquaintance.

"I'm Cooper Smith, Gryffindor." Daisy and David's eyes lit up at her statement. It was David, who spoke this time,

"Hi, we're going into first year, our mum and dad were both in Gryffindor, and we hope we are too. Do you mind if we take a seat here? Most everywhere else is full."

"Not at all," replied Cooper and Tom at the same time. The twins took seats opposite from each other, David to the left of Tom, and Daisy to the right of Cooper. They enjoyed a friendly game of exploding snap (they taught Tom how to play) and chatted about the sure to come adventures they would encounter at Hogwarts. Tom was even introduced to a brand new game on the wizarding market: Wizard's Chess. It was a rather barbaric form of Muggle chess, for if you lost a piece to the other player, it was crushed into bits.

Halfway through the ride, Henry reappeared looking tired and exhausted. They all changed into their school robes when they received word they were almost at Hogwarts, and the train finally rolled to a stop. First years were escorted towards the lake, so Tom, Daisy, and David said goodbye to Cooper and Henry, who were traveling up to the castle on horse-drawn carriages, and made their way towards the lake.

"Three to a boat please. And come on- we haven't much time to waste." Said a rather haughty, stern looking woman. They hastened to obey. Tom and the twins boarded the same boat; firmly grabbed the sides of it, and the boats magically followed the lady, who was in lead. Halfway across the lake, they caught their first views of the majestic castle. Most of the student's jaws were hanging open- the brilliantly lit castle seemed like a fairy tale dream for Tom. He glanced at the twins, who despite having parents who graduated from Hogwarts, still looked dumbstruck all the same.

They finally reached the other shore, and huddled close to the Professor (who had introduced herself as Professor Tabby) as she approached the grand entrance gates of Hogwarts. She grasped the grand door handles, and with considerable strength, swung the doors open. Inside, there was a long, stony corridor, and they traveled down it until they came to what appeared to be a waiting room of some sort. Professor Tabby instructed them to wait in the room until she came back to fetch them. As they waited, a girl let out a scream- a transparent ghost had just floated through the wall.

"Hello, what has got you in a fright? I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, the Gryffindor house ghost. I do hope you will be sorted into Gryffindor." Daisy and David grinned. Tom was beginning to feel uncomfortable; he wanted to be in Gryffindor with the twins, but also in his mother's house, Slytherin. Thankfully, he didn't have to contemplate this long, as Professor Tabby came back to lead them to get sorted.

Upon entering the main room (The Great Hall, as they had been told), Tom saw all of the students and teacher's attentions had been directed towards the newly arrived first years. He also noticed that some enchanted magical spell had made the enormous ceiling look like the clear, night sky. He hoped there would be some interesting books on the history of the majestic school in the library.

Professor Tabby placed an old hat on a stool in the center of the hall, and to some of the new student's surprise, including Tom's, the hat opened a rip in it to form a mouth, and began singing in a high-pitched voice:

Oh I am the sorting hat 

_Put me on and see_

_You won't find any hat_

_That can match its' brains with me_

_I might put you in Gryffindor_

_Where courage and bravery will pay_

_Or sneaky, cunning Slytherin_

_Where make true friends you may_

_Or perhaps wise Ravenclaw_

_From your studies you will never be deluded_

_Or charming, loyal Hufflepuff_

_Where no one is excluded_

_So put me on_

_Have no fear_

_A talking hat_

_Why, that's not so queer_

The whole hall applauded and cheered. Tom started smiling; he wouldn't have to do anything, the hat decides what house he goes in, and he didn't have to choose.

Professor Tabby took out a long scroll, and began reading names off the list.

"Adams, Joan" had the hat put on her head, and was put into Hufflepuff. "Ariel, Robert" was put into Ravenclaw. "Duke, Stacy" became the first new Gryffindor, and "Hagrid, Rubeus" the first Slytherin. "Kakaroff, Isabelle" the girl who shrieked at the ghost, also became a Slytherin. "Lupin, Theodore" a rather scruffy looking boy, became a Gryffindor.

Slowly, more and more people were called off the list, then he heard his name: "Riddle, Thomas". He gulped, and stepped forward to the stool. The hat dropped over his eyes, blacking out the light. At the same time, he heard a mysterious voice in the back of his head.

"Oh, a brilliant mind and a lot of strength and courage...but, of course, Salazar would be disappointed were you not in SLYTHERIN!" The last words rang in Tom's ears as he walked towards the Slytherin table. He was happy to be in his mother's house, but hoped he would still be able to see a lot of Daisy and David. "Thornton, Daisy" was Gryffindor, and then "Thornton, David" was immediately sorted into Gryffindor. Tom was happy for them. He gave the twins the thumbs up as they sat down. David grinned and returned the thumbs up. Daisy, however, seemed to be avoiding Tom's gaze. He felt a sudden rush of anger at Daisy, he had a quick temper, and he knew it. He usually held it back, but he didn't appreciate her ignorance. He clenched his fists, forced his anger into a ball at the bottom of his gut, and resolved to find out why she was avoiding him.

Perhaps the only person in the entire hall that had witnessed this, Albus Dumbledore, the Transfiguration teacher, noticed a boy waving at a new pair of Gryffindor twins. The boy waved back, and the girl ignored him. Albus saw that the girl's unfriendly gesture had hurt the boy, Tom was his name, and Tom had turned back to his own house table and forced a smile.

The sorting was soon over, and the Headmaster, Armando Dippet, said a few words. Then, a feast as Tom had never seen before was brought magically upon the dining tables. His sparkling, gold plates were soon under stress as he put more and more delicious looking foods on them. As he ate, he checked the teacher's table to look for any familiar faces that he could have seen in his schoolbooks. He only recognized Albus Dumbledore, an auburn-haired Transfiguration teacher, who was renown for his work on examining the twelve uses of dragon's blood. As he studied Dumbledore, he could have sworn that the man had given him a slight wink, as if displaying that he knew where Tom was looking.

As they ate their puddings and deserts, Tom chatted with the pretty Isabelle Kakaroff, and discovered that her family was from Scandinavia, and had recently moved to Bulgaria. The feast finally ended, and the Slytherins were escorted to the common room. The password, snake fangs, made a statue of a dragon slide aside to let them enter the common room.

Tom went up the staircase on the left until he came to the dorm marked 'First Years'. He entered, and saw that all of his things had all ready been delivered to his room. As he glanced up, he noticed a rather solemn faced boy was already occupying the room. It was a large boy, whom he recognized as Rubeus Hagrid.

"What's up?" asked Tom, very shyly, but determined and interested to know why the boy was looking so miserable.

"Nothing."

"I know it's something, because it looks like something." Rubeus slowly raised his head and looked at Tom, as though studying him.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes." Tom had not expected this response.

"The sorting hat put me in Slytherin because my mother is a giantess."

"So?" asked Tom, bewildered. Tom had always been rather fascinated with the aspect of giants, and upon realizing they might exist, in the magical world, would very much like to meet one. "I'm somewhat new to this magic thing, but that sounds cool! I don't know why I'm in Slytherin, but it's fine; I know I'll still have fun." Rubeus smiled, and they continued unpacking in silence until the other first year boys came in and a pillow fight resulted. Rubeus won, of course, but Tom came in a close second with a boy named Zach. Everyone was exhausted, and climbed onto their beds to fall asleep instantly.


	4. The Potion's Mistress

The next morning, Tom awoke to find all of his fellow classmates bustling around the room, trying to collect their things.

"It's the first day o' class, Tom" explained Rubeus. "Come on and get your stuff so we can catch a bite to eat before..." Rubeus glanced at his schedule, "Potions." Tom nodded, and grabbed his potion's ingredients, books, wand, and a few books for other classes so he could refresh his memory. In five minutes, he was ready to go, and he, along with Rubeus, exited the Slytherin Common Room. As Tom entered the Great Hall, he spotted Daisy and David at the Gryffindor table, and walked over to greet them. David returned the friendly welcome, but Daisy wore a scowl on her face, and ignored Tom. David took Tom aside and explained the situation,

"Don't take it personally, Tom. I know you're a good person, and Daisy does too- it'll just take her some time to come around. You see, we were born and bred as Gryffindors, and our parents always told us stories of their bad encounters with Slytherins."

"Then why aren't you refusing to talk to me?"

"Because I know you're a good person, and never liked my parent's stories." Tom laughed weakly, at least David's explanation had made him feel a little better. He had realized when he learned about the four separated houses that there might be some competition, but had never expected downright prejudice. However, with his new classes to look forward to, he still retained a shred of optimism when return to his seat at the Slytherin table, in between Rubeus and Zach to eat his breakfast. He thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast: scrambled eggs, warm biscuits, and crispy bacon, cooked to perfection. A glass of ice-cold orange juice accompanied the meal.

His spirits were slightly raised as he entered the chilly potions dungeon, eagerly awaiting, with childhood impatience, his first magical lesson. The class was composed of first year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. As the Potions Mistress entered the dungeon and made her way to the head of the class, most of those students had their jaws hanging open. She had brilliant navy robes and deep blue eyes. She also had long, white-blonde hair with blue tips to match her eyes; she didn't look a day older than 25. Many of the boys were still goggling at her as she introduced herself,

"My name is Professor Ralcrest, class, and I feel it is my duty to inform you that I do not tolerate slackers in my classroom. If you fail to demonstrate adequate potions skills, you shall leave for the day, and anyone failing to turn in homework on time will pay. Any questions?" A tiny Hufflepuff boy from the back of the room squeaked and raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Are you single?" Professor Ralcrest looked like she was staring daggers at the boy.

"I happen to be happily married, if that's of any help to you." She glared around the classroom, "Now for roll." She slowly drawled out names from a list on her desk, barely glancing at the students who replied that they were present. However, when she reached 'Riddle, Tom' she paused, and scanned the room with her eyes. Tom timidly raised his hand, hoping he had not done anything to upset the Potions Mistress.

"You are Tom Riddle?" she questioned, her sparkling eyes focused on Tom's brilliant gray eyes.

"Yes."

"Daphne Grindelwald's son?"

"Yes," replied Tom again, just starting to wonder exactly how many friends his mother had had.

"Of course- look at your eyes," Professor Ralcrest muttered, so softly, that only the people in the front row could hear her, Tom included. She stared into space for a moment, as if thinking, and then continued the roll, as if she had said nothing. Tom wished to hear more on the subject of his mother from her, but was still rather intimidated from the speech she had just given; therefore, resolving to ask her about it before the year was up.

The rest of the class continued rather quietly, free of interruptions. Tom paired up with Rubeus to work on a short-life sleeping potion. The ingredients insisted mainly of things that Tom had bought at the sinister Apothecary, and anything he didn't have was easily found in the store cabinet, which Professor Ralcrest had introduced them to. Their potion was a success, giving off a slight silver haze and smelling faintly of roses by the end of class. Much to their delight, Tom and Rubeus were awarded full marks and five points to Slytherin.

During lunch break, Tom feasted on cold turkey sandwiches as he reread his Transfiguration textbook, preparing for the class, which was next. He, along with the other first years, was shockingly surprised when the owl post came: dozens of owls came flying and hooting through an open window to the great hall at noon. Many new students shrieked as parcels dropped onto their laps from high above; Tom himself found that a great Eagle owl had left him a medium sized package. As he ripped it open, he noticed a short letter fall out, so he took it, and read it several times in his head.

Dear Tom,

Congratulations on being sorted into Slytherin! Your mother would have been very proud. I have sent a little gift along with this letter, that I hope you like very much.

Sincerely,

Emma

Tom smiled, and continued to open the package. His was rendered temporarily speechless as he saw his present- a snake. A small, green snake was sleeping inside of its' glass tank. Tom was amazed; he had always wanted a pet- a dog perhaps- but a snake? However, he soon realized the relevance of the snake, as Slytherin's symbol was a serpent. He smiled, and put the glass tank containing the snake to the left of his lunch plate. He grabbed a quill and some ink out of his robe pocket, and carefully wrote a letter back to Emma, thanking her for the wonderful present. The Eagle owl that had delivered the parcel was still walking around in front of Tom, so he rolled up his piece of parchment, and put it in the satchel around the owl's leg. He then watched as the owl spread its' great, tawny wings, and took off into the sunlight.

Tom grinned and stood up from the table. He took his snake, and rushed to the Slytherin Common Room, to make room for it on a table in his dormitory. He heard some low voice hissing at him, but as he looked around for the source of the noise, he realized that he had five minutes to get to his Transfiguration lesson with the famous Albus Dumbledore. He grabbed the satchel containing his books, and ran down the stony hallway towards the north wing of Hogwarts. He was gasping for breath as he entered the classroom, and took a seat towards the middle of the room. The Professor had not arrived yet, and Tom slowly breathed a sigh of relief. As he and the other students were waiting for the Professor to arrive, Tom glanced around the room. He noticed it was oddly empty, and assumed the Professor must have some sort of office where he kept all of his belongings.

"Welcome," said a quiet, mystifying voice that made half of the class jump out of their seats. Professor Dumbledore had just appeared out of thin air. "This is your first Transfiguration class, and I will be your professor. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, but most people prefer to call me Professor Dumbledore. Please speak up if you are not here." Most of the students were staring at him in bewilderment now, but Tom had to use all of his self-restraint not to burst out laughing, at least one of his teachers had a sense of humor. "Excellent," said Dumbledore, smiling at the bewildered students. He noticed that the Tom Riddle boy seemed to have caught on to his joke, "Everyone is here then. We'll proceed with the lesson then, shall we?" Some of the more daring students nodded their heads, most seemed fairly petrified to their seats. "Today we will be learning how to stun small things, such as flies. However, as you are just beginning your magical careers, we will not progress to stunning bigger things, such as people, until next year. The incantation is 'STUPEFY!' I would like you all to practice saying this before we attempt it with wands.

The class made a ruckus as every student shouted 'STUPEFY!' some attempting to shout louder than the others beside them.

"Very good," interrupted Dumbledore a few minutes later. Even though he barely spoke above a whisper, the entire class seemed to have heard him, and stopped shouting immediately. "Please take out your wands, and take one of these beetles out of the jar to practice on. If you successfully manage to stun one, please call me to your desk." Everyone received a beetle (some of the girls shrieked as they grabbed it) and returned to their desks. Once again, the classroom was filled with shouting. Tom shouted 'STUPEFY!' and the beetle stopped in its' tracks, though Tom noticed its' leg was twitching. 'STUPEFY!' he shouted again, and the beetle completely stopped moving.

"Professor Dumbledore!" called Tom, beckoning the Transfiguration teacher towards his desk.

"Yes, Tom. Are you having a problem?"

"N-No sir, I stunned the beetle." Dumbledore stared at Tom for a second, and then at the beetle.

"Enervate," muttered the Professor, and the beetle immediately started scampering around Tom's desk. "Why, so you have. Remarkable, actually, is this your first time ever performing a spell?"

"Yes," answered Tom, nervously.

"Very well...will you do it again?"

"STUPEFY!" shouted Tom, wand aimed at the beetle; again, it became completely immobile.

"Amazing, Mr. Riddle. Unfortunately, I have nothing else prepared for you to do, so I must ask you to sit here and patiently wait for the lesson to be over. Twiddling your thumbs helps past time, if I do say so myself." Dumbledore winked, and returned to his desk.

"Teacher's pet," sneered a voice from behind Tom, to his amazement, he recognized it to belong to Daisy Thornton.

"Daisy, I thought we were friends."

"Friends, with a Slytherin? You wish." Another Gryffindor girl sitting behind her laughed devilishly, "So, how does it feel knowing you got sorted into a house of dumb losers?"

Tom's temper snapped; she had set it off like a rocket. He quickly turned around and faced her, wand up.

"STUPEFY!" shouted Tom, filled with rage at someone whom he had once counted as a friend. He saw the shock on Daisy's face as she flew backwards, hitting her back against the wall, and slumping to the floor. She was only knocked out for a few moments, as Tom's spell had been weak, but it had certainly attracted the attention of Dumbledore.

"I'm quite sorry Tom, but I'm afraid I'll have to give you a detention- I don't allow dueling in my class." He didn't look the least bit angry with Tom; on the contrary, he seemed to have a smile on his face, and his eyes were twinkling. Dumbledore helped Daisy to her feet, and rushed back to her desk, blush creeping up onto her cheeks, as she was clearly embarrassed. Tom was secretly glad that David was not in this class, therefore not seeing Tom's temper erupt. "I think we'll end the lesson today, please pick up all of your books and exit the classroom quietly. No homework, and have a good first day back!" The students happily filed out of the classroom, and Tom stayed behind to receive his sentencing. Dumbledore assigned him detention for the following night, in his office at 10 o'clock pm. Tom asked the directions to his office, rather disappointed he had already gotten into trouble, and then hurriedly left the room to go to his next lesson.

As he left, Dumbledore sighed. He had watched Daisy insult Tom, and Tom snap out of his seat, shouting the first spell that came to mind. He felt sorry for the boy; he wished that the long time rivalry between houses could end, but in his heart he knew that it never would. He had only given Tom a detention so that he could get to know the boy more- even a minor stun done to a person on the first try was a major accomplishment for a first year, much less at his first lesson. Personally, Dumbledore was quite sure that Daisy Thornton had gotten what she deserved, but he was concerned about Tom's quick temper, which could prove a bad thing in later life. Lastly, Dumbledore had notice something odd about the boy- he had held his wand in his left hand, something extremely rare amongst wizards. In fact, Dumbledore only knew one other wizard alive who was left-handed. He sighed, and left his classroom.

The rest of Tom's day past rather quickly- it had been boring and uneventful compared to his first two lessons. He found Charms to be difficult, and History of Magic to be quite dull. He was very happy when he finally sat down at the Slytherin table for dinner, and filled himself up with delicious food. Feeling oddly content as he entered his dormitory after dinner, he lay down on his bed, and eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
